A Blog Devoted to Encouraging Homeschooling Mothers

The Burts in 2013

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Schoolhouse Review Crew ~ Math 911

I take homeschooling seriously ~ really seriously. A subject of enormous importance to me is math, especially at the high-school, college preparatory level. It's nothing to mess around with, avoid, or ignore. Every single high school student, home educated or not, needs a solid four years of high school math. Umm, did I mention that I take this seriously?!!?

You've heard me say this before, and I will say it again because it bears pretty heavily on my review of Math911; my son attends Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college that is ranked as an Ivy League school. For my son to even be considered for acceptance as a homeschooler, he had to take the ACT, SAT and two SAT II subject tests. One of those subject tests was in college math. In the end, his hard work paid off. Not only was he accepted into Wheaton, but he was one of a handful of freshmen who did not have to spend a few hours of their first day on campus taking an extensive math placement test. So as I have been using Math911 with my three high school aged daughters, I have been considering it's value in relation to preparing homeschoolers for college.

I have tested this math program, and I can honestly say it has NOT been found wanting! Created by Professor Martin Weissman, a math teacher in his 49th year, Math911 teaches math mastery in a way that isn't discouraging. While the graphics may seem a little dated to the average teenager, my children considered it's academic value to be more important.

Here's an overview of how Math911 works. The program itself is a download, and when you visit the website (www.Math911.com) you first access the free Standard Version (yes, I said FREE!). This is a complete Introductory Algebra course. You can also purchase the Premier Version (which is what I received). This version includes Introductory Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Statistics, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus. It's all included in one price ($49.95 - but keep reading because there is discount information later in my review!) and it includes free lifetime updates, free tech support, access to additional math courses with separate grade reports for multiple users, and even allows mom and dad to use Math911 to refresh their math skills. Access to the Premier Version is completed by entering a few codes that will be emailed to you upon purchase. So the first step is to download the free Standard Version, try that out and see how your teens do using it, and if you choose to purchase the Premier Version then you will enter the access codes by clicking the "Upgrade" button. The program is easy to use by clicking the desktop icon, and my daughter's are able to access their individual levels on their own.

I'm sure you can tell that I appreciate that this is a quality program. I also appreciate that it's ease of use, the way it reinforces the positive and down-plays the negative, and the customer support is fast. There is a personal feel with this company, which I love. The goal truly seems to be to help young people master the scary subject of math, and Mr. Weissman's love of the subject shows in his work.

Math doesn't have to be burdensome, difficult or despised. For students who think they'll "just never get it" Math911 offers an encouraging solution. For parents who wonder if they can teach high school math well enough to help their students get into college, Math911 provides the solution they need as well. I can't say there was much of anything that I disliked about this program, and the minor one or two hiccups I found in using it were ridiculously minor as compared to adjustments I've made with curriculum during my 14-years of homeschooling.

(Disclaimer ~ I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions shared here are solely my own.)